Vendors have been affected by the sudden revocation of the ECQ passes in Cebu City following strict measures in interbarangay travel. CDN Digital photo | Delta Letigio
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City residents were left in shock when the city government and the police announced on the evening of June 23, 2020, that all Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) passes will be revoked and new ones will be distributed soon.
The residents were asked to stay in their barangays except for workers, essential authorized personnel, and those who wish to leave the city before the borders to the province will be closed on June 26, 2020.
Read: Gwen orders strict border control with Cebu City anew
Residents are still waiting for the guidelines of this brand new ECQ that the Interagency Task Force (IATF) has imposed on the city.
Among them are the vendors at the Inayawan Public Market, who were very surprised of the announcement and lamented the lack of detailed information on how they can still go about their business.
The market was closed for half a day on Wednesday, June 24, 2020, to give way for a short transition.
Inayawan Barangay Captain Kirk Bryan Repollo issued barangay passes to the residents as temporary certificates to be allowed to buy their needs, and the public market reopened on Wednesday afternoon.
Read: Labella to Cebu City residents: Stay calm, follow ECQ guidelines
Yet the vendors, whose daily routine involves buying their goods at the Carbon Market or temporary fish market in Barangay Mambaling, felt the shift to what seems to be a stricter ECQ.
Jaybee, a 42-year-old vendor at the Inayawan Public Market, said that the announcement sowed panic among them who have to buy their goods at the Carbon Market.
Many of the vendors had to buy goods in bigger bulks anticipating the possible further lockdowns to be implemented when they may no longer be allowed to buy their supplies from the Carbon Market.
“Akong concern kining mga utanon, madaot man gud ni sila igka dugayan. Akong gipalit nalang run katong mga utanon nga dugay malaya. Aron mabaligya pa nako. Naglibog man gud mi og makagawas pa ba mi sa mga sunod adlaw,” said Jaybee.
(My concern are the vegetables because they rot easily. I bought crops and vegetables that do not rot easily so I can sell them. We are confused if we can still go out in the coming days.)
Read: Cebu City COVID-count: 60 new cases, 65 recoveries, 11 deaths
Some of the stalls at the Inayawan Public Market also closed down because the vendors lived in neighboring Barangays Cogon Pardo, Bulacao, or Poblacion Pardo.
The order that residents should remain in their respective barangays would entail these vendors to stay in their home barangays.
Rina Tabanes, 38, a fish vendor, said that barangay borders are now strictly monitored by the police and military. Along the route they take to the fish market in Barangay Mambaling and back to the Inayawan Public Market, they have also been checked by authorities repeatedly.
Her fear is that because of the ECQ passes be revoked, there will be even fewer customers in the next days. Her business has not been doing well in the past two months since this coronavirus disease pandemic started.
“Wala gyod ko kauyon ana ilang kalit-kalit nga pagtangtang sa ECQ pass. Gamay ra intawon kog napalit nga mga isda para ibaligya. Gamay ra pud kog halin ani. Paet na kaayo ang kinabuhi,” said Tabanes.
(I do not appreciate their sudden revocation of the ECQ pass. I was only able to buy a small amount of fish today. I will not have much profit. Our life is becoming more difficult.)
Read: Church, business sector in Cebu City support government’s COVID-19 response
Other vendors said they expect lesser profit in the coming days as well. But they still cling on to hope that residents will still be allowed to go to the markets and buy their goods.
Jaybee said that the goods will be wasted if the residents cannot buy them, and this is only wasting resources of the community.
With this, vendors are hoping the city government can provide the details on how the movement of the residents will be limited and if they can still sell their goods.
Vendors are not the only people confused with the new ECQ. Tanods and policemen on duty are also confused on how they will guard the borders.
Read: More cops sent to help implement ECQ protocols in Cebu City
The tanods of Barangay Inayawan assigned at the Barangay Bulacao border said that they do not let motorcycles and cars to pass through, but they allow walking people because there is no way to identify which barangay (village) they are from.
At border of the Barangay Inayawan, Cebu City and Barangay San Roque, Talisay City, the police have to constantly remind the public that their cars must detour to the South Road Properties (SRP) if they wish to go to the city center.
Sometimes they allow Cebu City residents, living just outside the border, to enter to buy food in the public market. Yet such is not always the case.
The police in the borders said they are confused themselves on the extent on the limitation of the movement in the borders.
Read: CCPO advices public to remain calm, follow ECQ guidelines
“Igo ra mi mobuhat sa sugo. If paablihan, ablihan namo, if ipasirado, sirad-an namo. (We only follow the directives. If we are told to open the borders, we open it. If we are asked to close the border, we will close it),” said the police-on-duty at the border.
He urged the public that while the guidelines are not yet set, they should stay at home for a while. /bmjo